South Africans saved 350MW during Earth Hour

During Earth Hour on Saturday, South Africans saved 350 megawatts of electricity, enough to power Bloemfontein for a whole day, Eskom said on Tuesday.

As part of its support for the Earth Hour campaign, Eskom measured the reduction in electricity used during the hour against typical consumption for this time on an average Saturday evening.

Eskom’s support is in line with the 49M movement launched recently by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe to mobilise South Africans to save electricity in order to save power, save the planet and save their pockets.

“We encourage every South African to “Lift a finger”—which is all it takes to switch off a light when it is not in use. Simple actions, such as using compact fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent globes and keeping unused appliances switched off.
Reducing electricity wastage can have a dramatic impact on electricity consumption. If you are not using it, switch it off,” said Eskom’s chief executive Brian Dames.

In 2010 Eskom measured an estimated reduction of approximately 420MW during the hour-long campaign.

Turning off the lights saves hundreds of tons of coal are saved from being burned to produce electricity, so that less greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, thereby saving the planet.

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2,2-million people and more than 2 000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change.—Sapa